Central County Parishioners are invited to participate in the following opportunity that will not only help families in Orange County, but will also give you a great excuse to engage in conversations with the neighbors on your block.
Families Forward Food Drive
View information on this service opportunity with Families Forward HERE.
This document includes a variety of information:
- "Who Is My Neighbor" map, where you can write down the names and personal information of the eight neighbors that live closest to you.
- Information about the Families Forward organization that is located in Irvine
- Food Drive flyer that you can print, copy and use to give to your neighbors as you talk to them and encourage them to donate items for the Families Forward pantry. While unseen, poverty and homeless do exist in this area.
We will be collecting these donations the Week of June 12th. Here's what you'll do:
- Collect donations in your neighborhood.
- Contact Shawn Monterastelli, smonterastelli@hotmail.com, so we can try to schedule a group drop-off/tour at Families Forward that works best for those participating.
- For those that are not able to make the tour, you can drop off your donations at Redeemer on Sunday, June 12th, or contact Shawn to make other arrangements.
Who Is My Neighbor?
Knowing your actual neighbors is a critical step in bringing the Shalom of Christ to our Parish. I realize that knocking on your neighbors' doors is very counter-cultural for us, so I know your participation will require some earnest initiative and prayer as you step out of your comfort zones and into the lives of neighbors who might actually still be strangers to you. One plan of attack could be going around to your 8 closest neighbors on a Sunday afternoon to hand out the donation flyers, and then go around the following Sunday afternoon to collect the donations. If you have children, bring them along to meet and talk with your neighbors too!
Share Your Stories
Finally, as you get to know your neighbors, please share stories with your parish telling them about the challenges you face in this process, as well as the glorious ways that you see God at work through you. Sharing these stories, both the challenges and the glories, will be an encouragement to all of us.